Thomas Cook has been hit by a £75million shares sell-off and calls for a boycott as the family of two children killed on a Greek holiday say they were not consulted over the firm's £1.5 million charity donation.

The holiday company announced yesterday that it has donated a payout it received following the deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd to charity Unicef as it apologised to their parents 'for all they have gone through'.

However, the donation has not been enough to stem public anger over the deaths of the siblings, who were killed when deadly carbon monoxide fumes seeped into the villa they were sharing with their father at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in Corfu.

Christi (left) and Bobby Shepherd (right) died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday with their father. Last week an inquest jury concluded that Thomas Cook breached its duty of care to the family and returned verdicts of unlawful killing

Around £75 million was wiped off the company's share value as investors, worried over the damage to its reputation, dumped stock, The Times reported.

Yesterday the stock fell as much as 4.3 per cent before closing down 3.2 per cent at 156.1p.

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This morning it was back up to 157.5p, compared with 161.3p on Friday - when the inquest into the children's deaths concluded.

Consumers were also calling for holidaymakers to use alternative travel firms. A 'Boycott Thomas Cook' Facebook page has attracted more than 2,820 'likes', and a similar petition on the 38 Degrees site has garnered nearly 400 signatures.

Facebook users also responded to a post on the company's Facebook page about the children's deaths, with many saying that the money donated to Unicef should have been given to Bobby and Christi's family.

Thomas Cook announced yesterday that it would hand the £1.5million it received to protect its image to charity. Thomas Cook executive officer Peter Fankhauser announced the decision

A post on the Thomas Cook Facebook page about the children has attracted a barrage of comments from would-be holidaymakers saying they plan to boycott the firm

One comment on the Thomas Cook page read: 'I'm disgusted by the conduct of Thomas Cook. I don't feel like booking with you ever again', while another said: 'A donation to Unicef, although welcome, is too little too late and merely rubs salt in the raw wounds of the family.

'You should be giving that money to the family and letting them decide how to use it.'

Thomas Cook's handling of the tragedy has also been criticised by legal experts.

'I've watched this play out like a slow-motion train crash,' Jonathan Coad, a partner at law firm Lewis Silkin, told The Times. 'Often in these situations there is a tension between your relationship with your insurer and the right thing to do.

The Thomas Cook post has attracted hundreds of comments from people saying they will boycott the company, and others who believe the money donated to Unicef should have gone to the children's family

'It's impossible to overvalue the importance of reputation to a company like this.'

Wakefield Labour MP Mary Creagh, who has been supporting the family, said she has spoken to the children's parents, Neil Shepherd and Sharon Wood, regarding the firm's Unicef donation.

Ms Creagh said: 'Their feeling is that this once more is not about them, it's about Thomas Cook.

'Thomas Cook have not contacted them about this.'

Ms Creagh said the family have a particular children's charity they have been supporting and to which relatives and friends have been donating in Bobby and Christi's memory.

Thomas Cook's group chief executive, Peter Fankhauser, confirmed yesterday that the company had received £1.5 million from the owners of the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on the Greek holiday island of Corfu, where the youngsters died.

Mr Fankhauser said: 'I believe this is the right thing to do and I apologise to the family for all they have gone through.'

The children's mother, Sharon Wood, makes an emotional statement following the inquest on Friday

Bobby and Christi were on holiday in Corfu with their father, Neil Shepherd (seen reading a statement) and his girlfriend, now wife, Ruth (left) when they died. Mr and Mrs Shepherd were left in a coma by the fumes

Bobby, six and Christi, seven, died when they were overcome by fumes from a faulty boiler as they stayed in a bungalow in the grounds of the hotel with their father, Mr Shepherd, and his partner, now wife, Ruth, in October 2006.

Their bodies were discovered by a chambermaid as she entered the chalet to clean it. Mr Shepherd and his girlfriend had also been overcome by the carbon monoxide and were in a coma.

Last week, an inquest jury concluded that Thomas Cook breached its duty of care to the family and returned verdicts of unlawful killing.

Since then, Mr Shepherd and the children's mother, Mrs Wood, have criticised Thomas Cook for failing to apologise to them.

The company said it had apologised in a letter to the family, but Mr Shepherd and Mrs Wood say they have not received it.

Yesterday, Mr Fankhauser confirmed that his firm received the £1.5 million, mainly in respect of legal fees, as part of a £3 million settlement with Louis Group, the hotel owners.

Mr Fankhauser, confirmed yesterday that the company had received £1.5 million from the owners of the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on the Greek holiday island of Corfu, where the youngsters died

Bobby, six and Christi, seven, died when they were overcome by fumes from a faulty boiler as they stayed in a bungalow (pictured) in the grounds of the hotel

The other £1.5 million went to Thomas Cook's insurers.

Mr Fankhauser said: 'Thomas Cook has not in any way profited from our claim against the hotel owner.

'In late 2012, we brought a claim against the hotelier for breaching their contract to provide safe accommodation to our customers and to comply with all applicable laws, which was decided in our favour.

'Today I have made arrangements for the full amount - £1.5 million - to be donated in full to Unicef, the world's leading children's organisation.'

The move by Thomas Cook follows further criticism of the firm from the parents of Bobby and Christi over the weekend.

Last Wednesday, a jury at the inquests concluded that the firm had 'breached their duty of care' to the family and outlined a series of other shortcomings by the tour company.

Bobby and Christi died at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on the Greek holiday island when they were overcome by fumes from the faulty boiler, pictured

The children along with their father Neil and his partner Ruth were poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes at the four-star hotel

After the end of the two-week inquest hearing in Wakefield, Mrs Wood said: 'I will always hold Thomas Cook responsible for their deaths.'

The family's barrister, Leslie Thomas QC, said the firm should 'hang its head in shame'.

The hearing was told that Bobby and Christi, from Horbury, near Wakefield, died due to multiple flaws in the installation and maintenance of the hot water boiler in an outbuilding next to the bungalow where they were staying on a half-term break.

Mr and Mrs Shepherd were with Christi and Bobby when the tragedy happened and were found unconscious next to the two dead children.

The jury foreman read out a series of conclusions which included that Thomas Cook had been misled by the hotel about its gas supply but also that the holiday giant's health and safety audit of the complex was inadequate.

A number of former Thomas Cook staff, including its chief executive at the time of the tragedy, exercised their legal right not to answer questions during the inquests, infuriating Mr Shepherd and Mrs Wood.

Two Thomas Cook employees were tried in a Greek court for manslaughter but were cleared five years ago.

Four Greek nationals were convicted of offences relating to the deaths of the children and jailed but they were released pending appeal hearings.

The coroner at the inquests last week said he would deliver recommendations to relevant organisations later this year which he hoped would influence British and European law and practices in the holiday industry.